Semolina Bread

July 5, 2012

My husband picked semolina bread for my last bread baking endeavor, so off I went, kneading away and creating my recipe. Semolina is a high-protein durum wheat “flour” (it’s not soft – it’s coarse) that makes whatever you put it in heartier and nuttier. The crust is crispy, and it doesn’t go stale straight away, which is a big plus when it comes to homemade bread.

Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for 15 minutes, adding in the last 1/3 cup semolina bit by bit. You may not be able to get the last of it in, and if that’s the case, don’t worry about it.

Here’s what it looks like all kneaded:

Such a pretty dough!

Ok, now oil the bowl and put the dough back in.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it be for an hour.

After an hour, pull back the towel and punch it down – just once, right in the middle of the dough.

Now cover it again and let it sit for 30 mins.

Turn it out onto the counter:

Using a pastry scraper (like you see here) or a knife, split the dough in half:

I made half into a torpedo loaf:

…and half into a round loaf:

I highly recommend the torpedo loaf, but have yet to bake the round loaf – I’ll update when I do!